Customer Reviews

The Mothers and Fathers Italian Association

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are few books that I've read that are as wickedly delightful as this one. Since I love the fields that Monteleone specializes in, namely horror and dark fantasy, perhaps I'm more fond of this stuff than your average non-afficionado would be - although I can say I have read some of these columns to a relative who is not a fan of those genres and she seemed to think them as hilarious as I did.

What we have here is a large collection of columns that Monteleone wrote over a period of several years, and, in so doing, brought a lot of joy and laughter to a goodly number of people. It's hard to describe Monteleone's humor, but it is as trademark as that of Joe Lansdale, another brilliantly funny writer. Despite winning the Stoker Award in 2003 for this book, Monteleone, I feel, deserves even MORE acclaim for this collection because it is, by and large, the very definition of a "hoot."

A favorite of mine is entitled, if I remember correctly, "What's A 'Hate Puppet?" It's about the author's wild, hilarious ride in script-writing for Hollywood. Moreover, his series on his experiences stemming from his phoning in to a radio talk show and his subsequent encounters with UFOlogy, were just about the funniest and most entertaining things I'd read in quite a while.

(There is one column I wish he hadn't written, but it is a small part of this massive, magnificent collection.)

Anyway, if you love reading both Mencken AND Lovecraft, and you take an interest in the fantasy and horror genres this book is almost certainly for you. It was worth every penny and then some.

Nearly a quarter century before Bill O'Reilly established his 'no-spin zone' on Fox, Thomas Monteleone (author of the stellar dark fantasy Blood of the Lamb) created a similar forum he blithely labeled "The Mothers and Fathers Italian Association" within the pages of Knights, a SF fanzine. Despite having had several homes over the years (it's been featured in Horrorstruck, The Horror Show, Mystery Scene, and currently resides in Cemetery Dance), Monteleone's column has always been a place where candor was king and debate actively promoted. Now, to the pleasure of many, and the dismay of quite a few more, twenty seven years worth of these columns have been gathered together in a single volume.

Virtuoso fusions of humor, anger, contempt, and informed opinion, any one of Monteleone's columns is likely to piss at least part of its audience off. Although one's enjoyment of a particular column often depends on whether you or a friend is a target, they always manage to provoke thought. Several leitmotifs run through the columns. First, Monteleone makes it abundantly clear that he loves his wife, the formidable Elizabeth. Second, he doesn't suffer those whom he considers fools gladly, skewering them with enthusiastic glee. Third, he thrives on stirring up controversy--you'll probably never encounter anyone so eager to throw gasoline on a fire. Fourth, there's a heck of lot of chest pounding going on--it's often hard to tell the difference between shtick and self confidence, but Monteleone probably prefers it that way.

Highlights of this long overdue collection include "The (Pretty) Good, The (Not-So) Bad, and The (Man-This-Is-Gonna-Get)Ugly," wherein Monteleone names those he considersd the most overrated writers in horror/dark fantasy, "A Heinous History of the Hardly Writing Association," his take on the HWA, and "The Shadow Over Bethel Park (and Other Tales of Unspeakable Dread)," where he relates a personal anecdote involving a retailer's illegal practice of selling stripped paperbacks.

Even after over a quarter century, the column remains vital. Ample proof of this lies in Monteleone's recent columns on UFOology, which, besides appearing in this tome, are now running in the latest installments of Cemetery Dance. Therein, he relates a tale so entertaining it's surprising he's saved it so long. The true story of a college prank taken to extremes, the columns collectively from a hilarious, biting piece which will provoke laughter (at the author's antics) and perhaps dismay (at the gullibility of so called experts desperate to prove their whacked out theories). On display in each are the erudition, egotism, chutzpah, insight and lively writing style which has kept his audiences following him from one venue to another.

Just a quick note to the effect that this book won the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association for Best Non-Fiction Book 2003 (presented on 5 June 2004)